ARLINGTON, Va. – June 26, 2019 -- The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have opened a public comment period for the draft of their joint guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.

The draft guidelines are based on a systematic review of current evidence surrounding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease and are written with the goals of improving patient outcomes and ensuring patient safety.

The public comment period is open for 45 days, during which IDSA, AAN, and ACR are seeking input from the public, including professionals and patients. Those wishing to provide feedback can view the draft guidelines and submit their comments on the IDSA website. The deadline to submit comments is Aug. 10, 2019.

Feedback gathered during the public comment period will be taken into consideration by the guidelines panel, comprised of experts from 16 medical specialties, as well as patients, before the document is approved by IDSA, AAN and ACR and finalized for publication. For more information, visit the IDSA website.

Signs and symptoms of synovitis may persist after a course of antibiotics due to failed eradication of the infection, persistent inflammation despite clearance of the infection, or development of post-infectious-inflammatory arthritis. Reliable tests to distinguish among those causes of persistent arthritis are needed....